Cornflower Witch

Chapter 142 The Golden Steamed Baker

During the two days of waiting, Hiltiya did not stay at her lodgings to sleep, but instead went to the market to visit. This time she came to the city with some wheat, intending to sell it separately.

According to the rules of the Forestry Association, after completing the portion to be handed over, any surplus wheat can be disposed of at their own discretion. This is intended to incentivize trainees to grow and produce more grain.

Even if she doesn't grow wheat anymore, the 8000 jin of wheat currently piled up in the barn is enough to hand over, and she can handle the remaining 3000 jin herself.

Upon arriving at the market, Hiltiya rented a stall and hung up a sign that read, 'Superior quality wheat flour, 3 silver coins/pound.'

The prices and slogans were simple and unpretentious. Today, she was wearing a black hooded dress and sitting behind the stall, her demeanor quite out of place with the things she was selling.

At 3 silver coins per pound, students can afford to eat this once or twice occasionally, but if they eat it every day, it will cost them nearly 1 gold coin a month, which is almost all of their normal income.

Therefore, most trainees choose 'good' or 'excellent' quality staple foods as their food, and only prepare high-quality supplies when going on missions and expeditions.

There are many people coming and going at the market, but very few come specifically to buy food, especially wheat flour.

Hirutiya sat there all morning and only sold 16 jin of wheat flour. This was the first time some of the trainees had seen flour of 'Excellence' quality and were ready to try it.

In the afternoon, Hilti continued to sit at her market stall, thinking that if she couldn't sell everything today, she would just hand it over to the association. After all, she had already experienced setting up a stall, so it didn't matter if she lost a little money.

Around three o'clock, Hilti was sitting behind her stall in a daze, thinking about whether she should just pack up and go for a walk when a customer dressed in white came to her stall.

"Oh, they even sell wheat flour, how interesting." The person walked up to the stall, looked at the samples, picked up a small amount with their fingers, and tasted it.

After a short while, the other party made a series of surprised sounds.

"The taste and the purity are really good, even better than the association's special supply." These words finally brought the girl out of her daze. She lifted her hood and looked at the customer in front of her.

Hiltiya's nose twitched slightly, and then a glint appeared in her eyes as she quickly understood the other person's identity.

Is he a baker...?

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name: unknown

Race: Human (Mortal Body)

Status: Healthy (no abnormalities)

Talent: Fire Perception [Excellent], naturally sensitive to the intensity of fire, a good candidate to be a chef.

Destiny Card: [The Baker by the Fireplace] (Tier 2 - Golden Steamed)

Bakers who can control the heat of the flames can use the oven fire to bake better and create high-quality pastries.
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Effect [Firepower Control Lv.3]: After being exposed to high-temperature oven fire, your control over the firepower has become more precise, allowing bread and pastries to be baked at the perfect temperature while maintaining their nutrients. This increases the quality of your finished products by +1.
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Baker Class [Bakeder Lv.3]: A fully-fledged class, skilled in fermenting dough and releasing its nutrients. (Fermentation & Nutrient Activation Lv.3)

Ability Cards: [Baking Method Lv.4 (Golden Steam)] [High-Temperature Oven Fire Lv.4 (Golden Steam)]

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"It's actually the 'Golden Steamed' affinity?" Hilti was a little surprised. This was the first time she had ever met a baker with an extraordinary profession.

"Hello, would you like to make a purchase?" She stood up slightly.

The other person didn't pay attention to the girl behind the stall, but focused on the flour and wheat grains next to them.

"Oh, fresh wheat grains, unmilled wheat grains, did you grow all of these yourself?" The baker had assumed the girl had brought them from elsewhere.

"I grew them myself," the girl answered honestly, without any need to deliberately hide it.

"That's really good quality. By the way, you're also a senior second-tier student. No wonder." He noticed that the girl was already a 'Second-Tier · Emerald Honey', so he nodded repeatedly.

“I’m a baker at the ‘Wind Oven Bakery’ in town, and I’m very interested in the wheat and flour you’re selling.” He didn’t beat around the bush and went straight to the point. “Three silver coins a pound, that’s really cheap. This must be your first time selling wheat in town,” the other party inquired.

"That's right, is there a problem?" Hilti thought for a moment, and realized that she didn't seem to have broken any rules.

"No problem, it's just that the price is too low," the other party laughed.

"Indeed, the standard price set by the association is three silver coins per kilogram for 'superior' quality wheat, but in reality, the yield of 'superior' quality wheat is far lower than that of 'excellent' quality wheat, so it is not easy to actually buy it."

“The Huijin Plain is planted with a large amount of wheat. The wheat produced by those high-level horticulturists is of ‘rare’ quality or higher and is directly supplied to the various organizations within the association. It does not enter the market. Therefore, the best wheat flour that can be bought in the market at present is ‘superior’ quality.”

"Although everyone may think that 'excellent' quality is the same, we professional bakers or chefs can still tell the difference between high and low quality even with ingredients of the same quality."

"You've cultivated it very well. It must have taken you many years to raise the quality to this level." He nodded appreciatively.

"He looks very young," he added.

"How much stock do you have now? If possible, I'd like to buy it all. I'll give you 4 silver coins per pound."

If the money is handed over directly to the association, the price is about 2.1 silver coins per catty. By selling it directly to them, the income is nearly doubled.

Even though she didn't expect to make much money at first, when the products she grew herself brought her income, it still made Hilti feel happy. This was not only because she earned money that she could use to do many things, but also because she felt a sense of satisfaction from her achievements.

"All of it? Let me think." She had to keep at least 5000 jin for handing over, which meant she could only handle 3000 jin herself. Considering some losses, she could only really sell about 2600 jin.

"It weighs about 2400 jin (1,200 catties)."

"So much? I thought it was only a few hundred kilograms."

The other party was curious, after all, a gardener's energy is limited, and if he wants to focus on improving quality, he can only take care of small plots of crops.

"It seems you're quite skilled now." Thinking of this, he was in a good mood. It seemed he could stock up on a batch of excellent ingredients this time.

"It seems we need to discuss this deal in more detail."

"Would you like to stop by the restaurant for a while? Oh, by the way, I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Fred."

Afterwards, Hilti had the toad by the stall pack up the things and carry them back to the inn, and then followed Fred the baker to a dessert restaurant on the street for a short rest.

"Actually, we supply many of the desserts at this restaurant; we have a good relationship with them," the person said first, then beckoned a staff member over.

"Give this lady an 'Orange Windmill Cake'. I remember we specially supplied six to you this morning; this item has been selling well lately."

“No problem, Mr. Fred, your masterpieces have always been a signature dish in our shop,” the other party replied with a smile, then made a note of it.

Soon, an exquisitely designed and sweet cake was served. The cake base was a very light lavender color, and the cake was decorated with orange-red windmills. The windmill leaves were made of separate orange slices, and the golden cheese represented wheat fields. Together, the cake presented a tranquil and pleasant pastoral scene.

【Orange Windmill Cake】(Level 1 - Steamed): Made with premium oranges, cream, eggs, and flour, the various ingredients are perfectly blended to create an excellent taste. (It transcends the realm of ordinary food, effectively restoring physical strength, soothing a tired mind, and healing some hidden emotional wounds.)
Picking up a spoon, she took a small piece of cake and put it in her mouth. Hilti felt a sweet taste melt on her tongue, and then she felt as if she were floating on a light cloud.

This dual comfort to both body and mind was truly unforgettable, leaving Hiltiah secretly amazed.

She vaguely remembered that only by elevating the quality to 'perfect' could a cohesive phase be achieved, but the baker in front of her used a bunch of 'superior' quality ingredients to create a finished product that was almost 'perfect' in quality and had a cohesive phase.

Indeed, no extraordinary profession should be underestimated.

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The nature of metal is described as "metal steaming": the hammering of metal and the roar of steam, representing the scalding power that reshapes the world.

(End of this chapter)